The Town of Mono, Ontario REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN FOR ULTRA-HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWN OF MONO 2014, The Town of Mono 1
Table of Contents 1 Definitions... 4 2 Instructions... 6 2.1 General... 6 2.2 Intent to Respond... 6 2.3 Completion... 7 2.4 Proposal Preparations and Enquiries... 7 2.5 Addenda... 8 2.6 Submission of Proposal... 8 2.7 Insurance... 9 2.8 Withdrawal of Submitted Proposal... 9 2.9 Clarification of Submitted Proposals... 9 2.10 Mono s Rights... 10 2.11 Governing Laws... 10 2.12 Contract Negotiations and Execution... 10 2.13 Notification of Award / Outcome... 11 2.14 Influence and Lobbying... 11 2.15 Disclosure... 11 2.16 Reservation of Rights... 12 3 Intent... 13 4 Deliverables Requested of the RFP... 14 5 The Town of Mono Demographic and Geographic Areas... 15 6 The Premise for an Internet Service Offering... 16 7 Selection and Evaluation... 17 8 Timeline... 18 9 Proposal Submission... 19 10 Qualifying Questions and Evaluation Criteria... 20 Your Company or Legal Entity... 20 Requirements for the Network... 20 Description of the Design Being Proposed... 20 Facility Definition... 21 Physical Network... 21 Technology Specification... 22 Management Technologies... 23 2014, The Town of Mono 2
Resultant Service Specification... 23 Fees... 23 Unique Attributes... 23 2014, The Town of Mono 3
1 Definitions Closing Date means the date on which Proposals must be submitted by Proponents. Proponent means the legal entity that submits a Proposal in response to this RFP. Deliverables means everything developed for or provided by the Proponent in the course of performing the Work defined in response to this RFP. Evaluation Committee means the individuals appointed by Mono Council to the Committee to evaluate responses to this RFP. Evaluation Criteria means the criteria for scoring the Proposal. Mono means the Corporation of the Town of Mono. Proposal means all documentation and other materials submitted by the Proponent in response to this RFP. Proposal Cover Letter means a cover letter accompanying the Proponent s proposal, signed by a person with authority on behalf of the Proponent to make the Proposal. RFP means this Request for Proposal. Services means the collective provision of Ultra-High Speed Internet Service, and Supplementary Services. Supplementary Services means the provision of other electronic media services on the Ultra-High Speed Internet Service. This may include but is not limited to telephony, video, television, and home security. Ultra-High Speed means a minimum bandwidth availability at any location where the proposed Internet service is deployed of not less than 1 gigabyte, in both download and upload. Ultra-High Speed Internet Service means all network, infrastructure, software, tools, technologies and services and to be deployed. 2014, The Town of Mono 4
Work means any and all labour, supervision, services, materials, machinery, equipment, tools, supplies and facilities required to provide a network design for an Ultra-High Speed Internet Service and Supplementary Services. 2014, The Town of Mono 5
2 Instructions 2.1 General 1. Proposals shall be submitted by the Proponent responsible for the delivery of all aspects of the Proposal. 2. Mono is seeking proposals for the network design for Ultra-High Speed Internet Services and Supplementary Services to residents and businesses in Mono. Mono understands that Ultra-High Speed Internet Services and the Supplementary Services can bring significant benefits to the residents and business owners based in the Town of Mono. The objective of this assessment is the specification of the network design of an Ultra-High Speed Internet Service and Supplementary Services. This RFP is designed to facilitate a standardized evaluation and comparison of proposals for achieving the objective immediately above. The ultimate goal of the program, of which this RFP is an early stage is the implementation of a network, to deliver Ultra-High Speed Network Services, along with an appropriate array of Supplementary Services for a monthly fee, such that the cost of development and ongoing management of the Services infrastructure can be supported in a financially viable model. A subsidiary municipal corporation, a Public Private Partnership, or Private-for- Profit model or similar models may be considered for the delivery of the Services. The Town will consider on a go forward basis the financial viability of delivery of the Services using one of the above models. 3. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section 7 of this Proposal entitled Selection and Evaluation. 2.2 Intent to Respond 1. Proponents interested in presenting a proposal via this RFP process are required to indicate their Intent to Respond by February 7, 2014. 2. The Intent to Respond must be provided by email to mono@townofmono.com. 3. The Intent to Respond must identify: 2014, The Town of Mono 6
The Proponent intending to respond. The name of the Primary Contact at the Proponent for production of the response. The contact information for the Primary Contact consisting of phone number, email address, and postal address. 4. Indicating Intent to Respond does not commit the Proponent to delivering a Proposal. 5. If the Proponent does not submit their Intent to Respond by February 7, 2014 the Proponent will be ineligible to submit a Proposal. 2.3 Completion 1. Proponents shall exercise care when completing the Proposal. Failure to comply with provisions of this RFP fully, or comply with any supplementary request, will have an adverse effect on the evaluation and scoring of the Proponent s Proposal. 2. All Proposals submitted shall include a cover letter bearing the signature of the person with the authority on behalf of the Proponent. The person signing the Proposal Cover Letter on behalf of the Proponent shall confirm that they have the authority to enter into negotiations with Mono on behalf of the Proponent for the delivery of Work defined in the Proposal at the fees indicated in the Proposal. 3. If a Proposal is submitted by two or more Proponents acting in partnership each party will provide a cover letter as defined in point 2, immediately above, and shall provide a description of the obligation of each partner to the Deliverables and Work defined in the proposal. 4. If during the preparation of its Proposal the Proponent desires to make a change, which requires modification to any information already submitted by the Proponent, the Proponent must resubmit the document containing the correction, and an explicit identification of the change being made. No Changes will be accepted by Mono after the Closing Date. 2.4 Proposal Preparations and Enquiries 1. Proponents shall examine the whole of the RFP and any data referred to therein. 2. The Proponent may not claim at any time after the Closing Date that there was any misunderstanding or uncertainty in regard to the Proposal that was submitted. No plea of ignorance of conditions which exist, or any conditions or 2014, The Town of Mono 7
difficulties that may encountered, will be accepted as a basis for claims for additional compensation or extension of time when negotiating a contract for delivery of the Work with Mono. 3. Any questions, enquiries, or request for clarification, interpretation, or permission to submit supplementary information are to be identified by email to mono@townofomono.com no later than 3:00 p.m., 3 days prior to the Closing Date, (being the Cut-off Date ). No questions, enquiries or requests for clarification, changes or amendments will be entertained after the Cut-Off Date. 4. Mono reserves the right not to respond to questions. Mono reserves the right to distribute copies of any questions received and any responses to all Proponents who have indicated their Intent to Respond to the RFP. The Proponent asking the question shall not be identified to any other Proponent should Mono distribute copies of any questions received and any responses. Responses or distribution, if any, shall be considered informal, unless Mono determines under section 2.5 to issue an Addenda. 2.5 Addenda 1. If Mono determines that clarifications or revisions are required, all Proponents who provided an Intent to Respond shall be advised of the clarifications or revisions prior to the Closing Date. 2. Failure of a Proponent to receive any Addenda and/or incorporate the materials in the Addenda in their Proposal shall not relieve the Proponent of any failure to address the Addenda. 3. It is the Proponent s responsibility to ensure they have received copies of all Addenda issued. 4. All Addenda will be posted on Mono s website at www.townofmono.com/content/ultra-high-speed-internet-rfp. 2.6 Submission of Proposal 1. The entire Proposal as requested by Mono shall be hand delivered to the Mono Municipal Offices at 347209 Mono Centre Road, Mono, ON L9W 6S3 on or before 3:00 PM local time, March 14, 2014 (being the Closing Date). Proposals must be received by this time to be eligible for consideration in the Selection and Evaluation Process. 2014, The Town of Mono 8
2. The entire Proposal to be hand delivered and received by the Closing Date at the Mono Municipal Offices shall include both one (1) copy of the Proposal in PDF format on memory stick or on CD-ROM, and (1) paper copy of the Proposal. 3. Notwithstanding the above, Mono reserves the right to postpone the Closing Date, at which time all Proponents who have provided an Intent to Respond, will be advised of the new Closing Date by way of a written Addendum. 2.7 Insurance 1. The Proponent must have insurance or obtain insurance in order to enter into a contract with the Town to deliver the Work. The Proponent must address its ability in the RFP to provide within five (5) business days of notification of acceptance of its Proposal, certificates of insurance for General Liability not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence, and Automobile Liability not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence with the Town named as an additional insured and with the insurance containing cross liability and severability of interest provisions. 2.8 Withdrawal of Submitted Proposal 1. The Proponent may withdraw a submitted Proposal at any time prior to the Closing Date, by delivering a written Revocation Notice to Mono s Municipal Offices by email to mono@townofmono.com. 2. Withdrawn Proposals will not be returned to the Proponent. 2.9 Clarification of Submitted Proposals 1. Mono reserves the right within sixty (60) days following the Closing Date to request that any Proponent clarify its Proposal. 2. If a clarification is requested, the Proponent shall have ten (10) days to respond to the request. 3. The clarification request and the response shall form part of the Proposal upon which any contract negotiations are based. 2014, The Town of Mono 9
2.10 Mono s Rights Mono reserves the right to: 1. Reject any or all Proposals as unacceptable at its sole discretion for any reason. 2. Consider any Proposal in whole or part. 3. Disqualify the Proposal if the submitting Proponent is deemed to have operated unethically, falsified material in the Proposal, or acts in an unprofessional manner. 4. Request substantial changes to a Proposal. 5. Disclose the identity of the successful Proponent, if any. 6. Withdraw the RFP at any point in time including termination of the consideration of any and all Proposals at any point in time. 7. As per Section 2.9, request Clarification of any Proposal. 8. Consider additional terms and requirements for implementation of services. 9. Verify the credentials submitted by the Proponent. 10. Negotiate with two (2) or more Proponents simultaneously. 11. Present the Deliverables of the Work to Internet Service Providers in support of a subsequent RFP or quotation for implementation and construction of the Work. 2.11 Governing Laws 1. The RFP and the award of any Contract shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario. 2.12 Contract Negotiations and Execution 1. The Proponent acknowledges that no contract of any kind is formed as a consequence of submitting a Proposal. 2. Mono may enter into negotiations at its discretion with the preferred Proponent. 2014, The Town of Mono 10
3. The preferred Proponent agrees to enter into good faith negotiations with the Town on the terms of the contract. 4. There shall be no binding contract for the supply of work unless Mono and the preferred Proponent, whose proposal has been accepted, have executed a contract. 5. There is no express or implied undertaking that the preferred Proponent, if any, shall have any additional rights should Mono proceed to issue a subsequent RFP or seek a quotation for the implementation and construction of all or part of the Network Design. 2.13 Notification of Award / Outcome 1. Proponents that have submitted a Proposal shall be notified of the outcome of this RFP subsequent to the selection of the preferred Proponent unless Mono decides to withdraw the RFP and/or terminate the Proposal selection and evaluation process at which point Mono shall advise the Proponents of that decision. 2. All Proposals shall become the property of Mono and shall not be returned to the Proponent. 2.14 Influence and Lobbying 1. Proponents where Officer Level positions are held by immediate family or members of Mono s Council, the Mono Sustainability Advisory Committee, or the Evaluation Committee are not eligible to respond to this RFP. 2. Proponents responding to this RFP shall avoid making any public comment, promote or advertise their qualifications or interest in the work except as defined in the RFP. 3. All Proponents must comply with all Federal and Provincial legislation regarding lobbying. 2.15 Disclosure Mono shall consider each submission of a Proposal as confidential, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, together with any other applicable law. It is intended that the selected RFP shall be made a public document upon the selection of the successful Proponent. 2014, The Town of Mono 11
2.16 Reservation of Rights This is a request for proposals only and not a tender call. This RFP does not create any contractual obligations whatsoever. Should Mono determine that it wishes to proceed after receipt of the Proposals, it may enter into, at its discretion, negotiations with one or more Proponent(s) for the award of a contract. In the alternative, Mono retains the absolute and sole discretion not to proceed with awarding the RFP and may terminate the RFP at any time. No Proponent shall have any claim for any compensation of any kind whatsoever, as a result of participating in this RFP, and by submitting a Proposal each Proponent shall be deemed to have agreed that it has no claim. It is acknowledged and agreed by each Proponent that this RFP shall be interpreted without regard to any presumption or other rule requiring construction against Mono which drafted this RFP. 2014, The Town of Mono 12
3 Intent Mono, Ontario, is evaluating the potential of providing a community owned ultra broadband high speed Internet services to its residents. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit qualified proposals for the architecture and design of such a network, being the Work. 2014, The Town of Mono 13
4 Deliverables Requested of the RFP The respondent shall provide written documentation of capability to define: 1. Data centre requirements for provisioning network technologies 2. Service provider connectivity recommendations 3. Physical network infrastructure, extending from data centres to residences and businesses within the Town of Mono 4. Specifications for the bandwidth projections, QOS, and reliability of service at each home or business 5. Management tools supporting the ongoing operation of the network 6. Expected evolution of the technologies required to remain current with the evolution of network services 2014, The Town of Mono 14
5 The Town of Mono Demographic and Geographic Areas The Town of Mono is situated in south-central Ontario in Dufferin County. It has a population of 7,546, growing by 6.7% between 2006 and 2011. There are 2,832 dwellings, of which 2,558 are defined as primary residences. The Town of Mono is bounded by Hwy 9 to the South, Hwy 89 to the North, Mono- Amaranth Townline on the West and the Mono-Adjala Townline to the East. Total area is 280 square kilometres. It has a mixed community of agricultural (including equine), commuting professional, in-location professional, artists and retirees. It has a no fixed commercial or industrial economic base. 2014, The Town of Mono 15
6 The Premise for an Internet Service Offering As part of the Mandate of Mono s Sustainability Advisory Committee, Mono is concerned with limited access to high quality, high capacity Internet services. There is no single source network service available at this point in time. A portion of the community is provided network services through individual subscription services with Bell Canada. Another segment is served by satellite-based services via companies like Xplornet. Only 30% of Mono s residents are served by DSL high speed Internet. Access to broadband Internet services is increasingly seen as an essential component of a creative community and a vibrant economy. In the absence of any specific interest from the traditional providers, Mono is actively considering deploying its own community network solution. The underlying proposition for Mono s investigation is that for a given set of services, residents would be willing to pay a monthly operational fee, and disconnect existing duplicated services with other providers. Those services might include: Ultra High Speed Internet On-line Television Videophone/Telephone Services including long distance Home Security Services Hosting Services Remote support services for elderly or those needing ongoing health or capacity monitoring Educational opportunities only available on line Qualify residents as candidates for outsourced work from home The requested architecture would create a solution that provides a highly reliable network design for the delivery of the listed services. 2014, The Town of Mono 16
7 Selection and Evaluation Mono will review the Proposal Submissions in accordance with the following selection and evaluation criteria: Completeness of response. Evaluated quality of response to the Qualifying Questions and Evaluation Criteria as set out in Section 11. Any further Evaluation Criteria that Mono may publish as part of an Addendum. Fees Relevant experience and qualifications 2014, The Town of Mono 17
8 Timeline The following dates have been established to guide the RFP process: This RFP is being issued as of January 14, 2014 Notice of Intent to Respond February 7, 2014 Proposals Due/Closing Date: Mono Municipal Offices March 14, 2014 The above timeline is a mandatory timeline. Mono anticipates that interviews, if necessary, will be held within two weeks after the submissions of Proposals. The selection of one or more of the preferred Proponent(s) by Mono Council is anticipated approximately two months after the submissions of Proposal. Both these anticipated timelines are discretionary and may be altered as Mono, in its sole discretion, sees fit and desirable. 2014, The Town of Mono 18
9 Proposal Submission Proposal submission requires a formal response to all qualifying questions as listed in Section 10. The numbering of questions and their responses should remain as presented in this RFP. 2014, The Town of Mono 19
10 Qualifying Questions and Evaluation Criteria Your Company or Legal Entity 1. Please provide the full name and address for your company or legal entity. 2. Please provide the name, title, and contact information for the prime resource within your company or legal entity for preparing this response. 3. If the person with your company or legal entity who will hold primary responsibility for the design and execution of services under your proposal is different from the resource in question 2, please provide the name and contact information for this person this person shall be defined as the delivery prime 4. Please provide the resume / CV for the delivery prime. 5. Please provide a description of at least 3 architectures/designs your company or legal entity has developed serving the needs of communities. Requirements for the Network 6. The network architecture must provide for access to all homes and businesses in the Town of Mono. 7. The network must target support up to a 1 GBps symmetric service at each location. 8. The network must support QoS and CoS. 9. The network must have no single point of failure. 10. The network must have a scheduled uptime reliability of 99.9%. 11. The network must be serviceable, scalable and extendible with open standards based technologies, such that Mono is not dependent on a single vendor or manufacturer for ongoing delivery. 12. The network must be available on a home by home basis but it cannot require 100% participation of all residences. 13. The network must facilitate open access arrangements. 14. The network must support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be operated at any residence or place of business. Description of the Design Being Proposed 15. The Proponent is required to provide a text description of the overall solution being proposed. 2014, The Town of Mono 20
16. The Proponent is required to provide a text description of why the respondent believes this architecture / design is the most advantageous design. 17. The Proponent is required to provide a text description of the expected stages of overall deployment. 18. The Proponent is required to provide a text description of any enhancements to the service as defined in this RFP that might easily be accommodated in the design. Facility Definition 19. The Proponent is to assume that Mono has no physical assets that are suitable for use as a Network Operations Centre or service management facility. 20. The Proponent is required to define: 20.1. The facility requirements for a Network Operations Centre. 20.2. The facility requirements for Data Centres and Service Provider access. 20.3. The HVAC, electrical and physical space requirements in each proposed facility. 20.4. The infrastructure (rack, server and station) requirements in each facility. 20.5. Conduit and cabling requirements in each facility. 20.6. Options for sourcing required facilities and infrastructure, such as: Mono owned and operated through either the municipality or by a subsidiary municipal corporation; P3; or 3 rd party owned and operated. Physical Network 21. The Proponent is to assume that Mono has no physical infrastructure available on which to deploy network services. 22. The only contiguous conduit sources within Mono are electrical services provided by Hydro One and telephone services provided by Bell Canada. 23. The Proponent is to define: 23.1. Infrastructure requirements at each location network services are to be provisioned. 23.2. Power, equipment and access requirements at each location. 23.3. The specifications for the means by which location based services are extended, (e.g. existing power or telephone services, new fiber, wireless, etc.). 23.4. The requirements off premise for geographically located infrastructure, (repeaters, routers, towers, transmission points). 2014, The Town of Mono 21
23.5. The means by which a single connection, and hence a single point of failure, is avoided. 23.6. The expected lifespan of field deployed assets. 23.7. The expected service and maintenance commitments required for field-deployed assets. 24. The proposal can assume right of way agreements for end-point locations and through Mono available easements and property rights. 25. If the Proponent s proposed architecture requires right of way be granted by other residential service providers, the respondent should specify the rights required, and the mechanisms successfully used in the past to acquire them. 26. The Proponent shall define any deployment minimums and maximum capacity limits. Technology Specification 27. The Proponent shall define for each proposed technology: 27.1. Capacities (upper and lower limits), protocols, and performance characteristics. 27.2. Management requirements. 27.3. An evaluation of that technology s maturity, reliability, serviceability. 27.4. The power requirements. 27.5. The facility requirements, (if deployed in the field and not in a NOC or DC). 27.6. The Proponent s justification for proposing that technology over other technologies that provide the same service. 27.7. Technology specification should identify capacity and performance requirements, operating systems, firmware, environmental characteristics, and any other attribute that facilitates multiple manufacturers submitting proposals for the implementation of the solution. 27.8. Where a suggested technology is only available from a single manufacturer, the Proponent is required to identify that technology s specifications, the manufacturer and that it is a single source product. 27.9. Where the inter-connection between 2 components of the solution requires a proprietary interface the Proponent is required to identify the proprietary interface. 2014, The Town of Mono 22
Management Technologies 28. The Proponent is required to identify the technologies required to successfully manage the network solution being proposed in the Architecture. This should include, but not be limited to: 28.1. NOC and Data Centre servers, soft(firm)ware and application performance. 28.2. Network performance, disruptions, and failure tracing. 28.3. Usage monitoring (volume and bandwidth) for each subscriber. 28.4. Service Provider performance monitoring. 29. The Proponent shall provide information on how issues with the service are tracked, notified to network management personnel, and prioritized. Resultant Service Specification 30. The Proponent is required to describe how the end-customer would experience the resultant service, in terms of: 30.1. Expected upload and download minimums. 30.2. Expected availability. 30.3. Expected access rights for service personnel. 30.4. Integration into existing SMB or residential network solutions. 30.5. Requirements for service implementation at the subscriber s location. Fees 31. Please identify the fees that the Proponent requests for the services defined above. These should represent the total cost for all services provided. Unique Attributes 32. The Proponent shall identify any unique attributes or aspects of its Network Design that may be of interest to Mono. 2014, The Town of Mono 23